Deplorable Dhk-Ctg highway raising business costs

CHITTAGONG, August 26:  The cost of carrying goods on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway has increased three-fold due to its dilapidated condition and subsequent traffic congestion, creating a negative impact on the business. Besides, investors from home and abroad are also being discouraged amid this situation.

The Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) expressed these opinions while requesting Communications Minister Obaidul Quader to repair the highway and internal roads of the port-city as soon as possible.

 In a letter to the minister Tuesday, CCCI president Mahbubul Alam said the people of the port-city are suffering a lot in absence of coordination and concerted plan among the service providers, such as Chittagong WASA, city corporation, Chittagong Development Authority, T&T, and gas distribution and power supply companies.

Each of these agencies cut the same road one after another to set up respective underground lines, and as a result the roads remain dilapidated. Critical patients, workplace goers, students and businesspeople all are sufferers of the agencies' unplanned work.

The CCCI president also mentioned that the Airport Road experiences regular congestions at CEPZ Gate, Chittagong Port and approaches of the ICDs (inland container depots) due to haphazard parking of container-carrying long vehicles.

He urged the minister to relieve the people from traffic congestions by instructing the authorities concerned to remove potholes by carpeting and repairing the roads.